Good drinks
1. Coffee
Several studies have shown that drinking coffee reduces the risk of death from cirrhosis, reduces the occurrence of liver fibrosis, improves liver function, and reducing the risk of developing liver cancer.
Recent studies have also found that the better healthy coffee should be filtered coffee, such as a paper filter. Because it can filter, and lower cholesterol level compared to non-filtered coffee. a
2. Green tea
Green tea is a beverage that has been proven to have anti-cancer effects. Contains antioxidants and has a lowering effect on blood lipid. Several studies have shown that drinking green tea can help prevent liver disease, prevent liver cancer, and prevent the occurrence of fatty liver. Green tea contains an active ingredient which is a substance in the polyphenol group. b
3. Artichoke tea
Artichoke has been used in traditional medicine to treat liver disease, jaundice, dyspepsia since ancient Europe. Artichoke leaf extract was studied in patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. It was found to reduce the fatty liver, improved liver function and improved liver enzyme level after using artichoke extract for 2 months. c,d
A clinical study conducted by using Artichoke tea in 70 patients with fatty liver disease by taking 1 tablespoon of tea leaves infused with boiling water for twice a day for 45 days. The liver enzymes Aspartate Aminotransferase (AST) and Alanine Aminotransferase (ALT) were significantly reduced, indicated better liver function. Also, the severity of fatty liver disease and cholesterol level in patients were decreased significantly. In addition, blood sugar and triglycerides showed decreasing trends. Flavonoid compounds which is the polyphenol group are active ingredients in artichoke leaves that inhibit cholesterol synthesis and increases liver bile secretion to eliminate lipid from the body, as well as helps digestion. e
Bad drinks
1. Alcohol
It has been widely accepted from supporting data that alcohol can cause various liver diseases from hepatitis, fatty liver disease, cirrhosis, including liver failure or liver cancer.
According to the “Dietary Guideline for American 2015-2020” recommendations, the maximum daily alcohol intake for women should be no more than 1 standard drink, while for men no more than 2 standard drink. But it is not recommended to drink every day for several days. And for those who don’t drink alcohol, it’s not recommended to start drinking either. Besides liver disease, alcohol is a common cause of many disorders such as high blood pressure and various cancers. f
2. Soft drink and sweetened fruit juice
Studies have shown that in patients with fatty liver without other risk factors such as obesity, diabetes or hyperlipidemia consumed more soft drink and sweetened fruit juices thank in healthy volunteers. When monitoring the relationship between the severity of fatty liver disease and the consumption of sugar-added beverages, it was found that consumption of sugary drinks is associated with fatty liver. Although the exact mechanism is not yet known, the results of the experiment suggest that drinking soft drinks or sweetened fruit juices should be avoided. g
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References
a. Feld JJ, Lavoie ÉG, Fausther M and Dranoff JA. I drink for my liver, Doc: emerging evidence that coffee prevents cirrhosis [version 2; referees: 3 approved] F1000Research 2015, 4:95
b. Jin X, Zheng RH, Li YM, Green tea consumption and liver disease: a systematic review, Liver Int. 2008 Aug;28(7):990-6.
c. Rangboo V, Noroozi M, Zavoshy R, et al., the effect of artichoke leaf extract on alanine aminotransferase and aspartate aminotransferase in the patients with nonalcoholic steatohepatitis. Int J Hepatol. 2016;2016:4030476.
d. Panahi Y, Kianpour P, Mohtashami R, Atkin SL, et al., Efficacy of artichoke leaf extract in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease: A pilot double-blind randomized controlled trial. Phytother Res. 2018;32(7):1382-87.
e. Kalvandi R, Rajabi M, Kahramfar Z, Chaleh Cheleh T. Investigation of the Effect of Artichoke (Cynara Scolymus L.) on Characteristics of the Fatty Liver. Complementary Medicine Journal. 2020; 10(2):134-147.
f. Crabb DW, Im GY, Szabo G, Mellinger JL, Lucey MR. Diagnosis and Treatment of Alcohol-Associated Liver Diseases: 2019 Practice Guidance from the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases. Hepatology. 2020 Jan;71(1):306-333.
g. Assy N, Nasser G, Kamayse I, Nseir W, Beniashvili Z, Djibre A, Grosovski M. Soft drink consumption linked with fatty liver in the absence of traditional risk factors. Can J Gastroenterol. 2008 Oct;22(10):811-6.
